Savage Rebarrel Lessons Learned

[ToddKS]

I decided to replace the factory barrel on my Savage Model 12 BVSS 308 Winchester with a new match grade Shilen prefit barrel. To accomplish this I purchased a Wheeler action wrench, Wheeler barrel nut wrench, and Forester go and no go gauges from Midway as well as the barrel. The attempt was successful with a few lessons learned along the way that I thought I would share.

There was a youtube video I used as a starting reference but here are some things I learned during the process that were not in the video.

1. I lined the portion of the action wrench that contacts the top of the action with some carefully placed electrical tape. This avoided any marks on the top of my action. If you choose to do this make sure it does not overlap the front edge of the action wrench block or it may get caught in between the recoil lug and the action (I learned this the hard way).

2. Before putting the barrel wrench over the new barrel, protect the non-threaded portion with some painters tap (I used the green frog tape). The edges on the barrel wrench are sharp enough to scratch the finish of the barrel if you accidentally rub it while putting the wrench over the barrel. Fortunately I noticed this taking the old barrel off so I did not scratch my new barrel. If you have really steady hands you could skip this but why take the chance. Tape is cheap.

3. The instructions with the action wrench say to torque the main 1/2" thread bolts to 35-40 ft/lbs. I set mine at 35 and that was still too tight for the barrel to unscrew properly. I found 30 ft/lbs was sufficient to hold the action firmly and allow the barrel to unscrew/screw on freely. I highly recommend having a good torque wrench for this project. Lowe's Kobalt 3/8" torque wrench is only $40 and is a pretty nice unit. I used a 3/8" to 1/2" socket adapter so that the head would fit the 1/2" cut out on the barrel nut wrench. YMMV on this but if you torque to 35 ft/lbs or more and the barrel does not unscrew freely, back off on the torque. It is also important to make sure that you cross tighten the main bolts so that the action wrench grabs the action squarely.

4. The recoil lug on my action had a nub sticking out that is not accounted for in the design of the action wrench. I had to file a notch in the action wrench block to provide clearance for this nub. I do not know if all Savage recoil lugs have this nub but if yours does you will need to file out a notch like I did.

5. When torqueing the barrel nut remember that you have an extra lever (the barrel nut wrench). There is an online video that gives a conversion chart. The setting on your torque wrench will be less than the actual torque value. In my case I set the torque wrench at 20 ft/lbs to achieve an actual torque of 30 ft/lbs on the nut (this is covered in the video, but important).

6. When setting the headspace I had to run the barrel down onto the go gauge and then back it off slightly to get the headspace correct. The reason for this is the barrel tends to rotate clockwise slightly as the barrel nut is tightened. On my first attempt the headspace was too tight due to this issue. The go gauge was tight when I tried it. It took me a couple attempts to get the headspace how I wanted it. Be patient when setting the headspace.

7. The Wheeler barrel nut wrench that I purchased from Midway (Midway product number: 288765) is actually a two wrench set that includes the wrench to remove the new smooth barrel nut as well as the wrench pictured. It is not described as a two wrench set but it is so if you are needing to remove the smooth nut this is the right item to buy even though it is not shown in the picture or description. There are some mixed reviews on this item but I had no trouble with mine.

8. I chose to put a little anti seize compound on the threads of my barrel just to be safe. I do not know if this is necessary (the gentleman in the video does not) but I thought it would be better safe then sorry later.

9. After removing my barrel and cleaning the action I noticed that the machining on the threads of the action was a little rough. I chose to gently lap the threads of the action with some 600 grit lapping compound prior to installing the new barrel. The new barrel threaded on smoothly after this. This was not an original thought on my part. I got the idea from an article on the Houston Warehouse shooting range that I read.

For never having done this before I thought the project went well. I have not had a chance to shoot it yet but I am excited to see how the new barrel performs. One thing I did notice is that fired brass from my old barrel will not chamber in the new barrel with the current headspace. I am guessing the factory headspace must be a little looser than what I have now. I am confident that I set the headspace correctly using the gauges. I checked and rechecked this many times. I also put together a dummy round on a piece of full length resized brass which chambered properly with no issues.

I was also a little surprised at the throat length on the new barrel. It is shorter than I expected. My OAL touching the lands is right at 2.800 with a 175 SMK. This is .025 shorter than my old OAL to the lands with the same bullet (I have a set of control bullets that I keep just to measure OAL so that I am always using the same bullet for consistency). My old barrel did have some erosion however which I am sure accounts for this (my OAL to the lands had increased over the life of the factory barrel).

The total cost for this project was under $500 and I now own the tools to do it again in the future. Next time I will only have to purchase the barrel so I will save around $150 vs. this time.

Here are the tools I used:
Good bench mounted vice
Good torque wrench
Wheeler Engineering Barrel Nut Wrench Savage 10, 110: Midway product #288765 Wheeler product #123038
Wheeler Engineering Action Wrench #2 Remington 700, Savage 110: Midway product #710783 Wheeler product #414521
Forster Headspace Go Gage 243 Winchester, 260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington, 308 Winchester, 338 Federal, 358 Winchester: Midway product #491140 Forester Product #HG0243G
Forster Headspace No-Go Gage 243 Winchester, 260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington, 308 Winchester, 338 Federal, 358 Winchester: Midway product #539645 Forester Product #HG0243N
Shilen Barrel Savage 110 Series Small Shank 308 Winchester S7 Contour 1 in 10" Twist 26" Stainless Steel: Midway product #256502 Shilen product#: SAV-007-VMT-S

Note: Midway's description does not specifically state that this is the match grade barrel. Because the price at Midway was less that the price on the Shilen website I was concerned that there might be a lesser grade of barrel that was being produced for Midway that was not listed on the Shilen site. I called Shilen and they stated that they only produce the 3 grades of barrels listed on their website and that there were no special (lesser) barrels being sold to Midway for distribution. She told me that given the barrel is not blued it was a match grade (unless of course they sold me a select match grade at a smokin' price which is highly unlikely).

Optional tool: Strap wrench. I did not need one to unscrew my barrel once the barrel nut was loose but this might be handy if the barrel being removed is stubborn. If you are having trouble unscrewing the barrel after the nut is loose I recommend reducing the torque on the main 1/2" screws on the action wrench before deploying the strap wrench and trying to muscle it off (see item 3 above).

A barrel vice is not required to change the barrel on a Savage action. The handle is removed from the Wheeler action wrench and then placed in your vice (see youtube video for details).

All of the tools would be the same for any of the following calibers: 243 Winchester, 260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington, 308 Winchester, 338 Federal, 358 Winchester

If you are wanting to try this BUY THE RIGHT TOOLS (or find someone who already has them)! Don't ruin your action or barrel nut trying to be cheap. These tools should last a lifetime and if you decide you don't want to keep them you can always sell them.

I hope this information will be useful for someone else who may be thinking about changing out their Savage barrel.

Here is a video on Youtube that I used as a starting reference:


Savage to Criterion Barrel Swap - YouTube.


Todd

 

[17874]

Good write up man, I just replaced my .308 barrel and upgraded to a Shilen .260 barrel. Barrel was great, but needed to be re-crowned. I recut it flat and lapped it after I threaded it 5/8x24.

 

[Ring]

just a FYI, the torque wrench in the vid is placed wrong, it should be attached to the hole closest to the barrel nut.. thats y the setting would be off, also, no need for a no-go guage

 

[armorpl8chikn]

Like Ring said, no need to buy a no-go. Put a strip of Scotch tape on the head of the go gauge and it should be difficult to close the bolt on it, now your headspace is perfect.

 

[BoilerUP]

Excellent write-up.

I've got a healthy redneck streak in me (and a healthier cheap streak) so I use a 3.5" shop vise, some oak blocks that are notched, some brown sugar (yup) between the barrel & blocks as a resin. Cinch the blocked barrel down tight and use a dead blow hammer to whack the barrel nut wrench a time or three until it breaks loose; failing that, a 1lb hand sledge will work.

No action wrench here, though it would make things easier...especially with a smooth barrel nut which should be tossed in favor of a traditional grooved nut ASAP.

I also don't worry about torquing anything...snug the barrel nut up, check headspace with Go-Gauge and Go-Gauge with 1 piece scotch tape (no-go) and if it passes both, give one light tap with dead blow to tighten the nut and check headspace again. If it passes, go shoot - it ain't gonna back off.

 

[turbo54]

Thanks for taking the time to post.

Another method for protecting barrel/action finishes, as well as add some extra bite when clamping wrenches to them is a wrap of paper drywall tape.

An extremely well-respected gunsmith here on the hide (he doesn't post, though) gave me that little tidbit.

Also, specifically on Savages, I've found the easiest way to nail the headspace on the first try (as the OP mentions, the barrel screws on just a bit more as the nut is tightened), is to put a piece of scotch tape on the GO gage, chamber it, screw the barrel in until it contacts, remove the gage and torque the nut. Then try the GO gage. I've found this works extremely well.

 

[Dirty D]

Excellent writeup, I love Savages for their end user serviceability.

 

[Name Enough]

I was most fortunate to get a Savage 16SS with a Creiterion light Varmit barrel in 308. It came with 2 Dark Eagle 10 round mags and a custom bolt handle and sits in a MacMillian stock with a PWS FSC30 brake. The fellow that sold it had 39 rounds down the barrel and sold it to me because he had to focus on his education as he was spending a lot of money on grad school.
Best of all he included all of the tools I need to rebarrel when the time comes. After reading your excellent post I think I can get-er-done myself.
Thanks for posting.

 

[ToddKS]

Thanks to those who replied.

I had read about the scotch tape trick to eliminate the need for the no go gauge however I decided it was worth the $27 to have it. For me it was a peace of mind thing. My background is in aircraft and I am used to tools being used to measure everything (I am not an engineer but I spent 5 years working closely with them and it rubbed off on me). Same story on the torque wrench. I have twisted the heads off enough bolts and stripped enough screws that now I torque anything that I think might be sensitive or prone to damage if over tightened.

Each person is going to have to decide for themselves if the extra tools are worth it. Given my background I am going to opt for the additional tools (I already own a collection of torque wrenches so I am going to use them ).

Boiler,

I seriously considered building a jig to eliminate the cost of the action wrench. In the end I decided that the action wrench was the right way to go for me. This was in part driven by convenience (my life is pretty busy right now), my overwhelming need to collect cool tools, and the fact that I had never done this before and did not want to screw it up. My plan was to buy a block of oak, drill a hole through the middle for the action (smaller that the OD of the action), drill two holes to run the bolts through to secure the action, and then split the block in half on my table saw thus creating a two piece wood jig very much like the action wrench. For someone looking to save the cost of the action wrench I believe this would work quite well it just wasn't the right choice for me.

I also considered doing as you describe and just notching a couple pieces of wood and using the vice to provide the compression force. I believe this would work as well (clearly it will as it worked for you) but there are a couple issues that steered me away from this idea which I am going to share. This is not intended to criticize your method but rather as information for anyone reading this who is considering doing this for the first time.

Issue 1: With a notched block you only have 4 points of contact on the action rather than having the majority of the action in contact with the block. This means that you are going to have to put more pressure on the action with vice to achieve the same resistance to the rotation of the barrel nut wrench as there is not as much surface area in contact with the action. I did not like that. (This is not my opinion here, this is physics). For the same reason I felt the action was more likely to slip in the blocks using this plan.

Issue 2: I determined that there would be a certain amount of hassle created due to the blocks not being physically anchored to either the action or the vice. This could be mitigated a couple different ways including fixing the blocks to the vice (I was thinking tape) or having a second set of hands on the job to tighten the vice while the other person held the blocks and action in place. In the end I determined I did not want to deal with the hassle and for me it was the right call. Having the action wrench attached to the action and barrel simplified things and allowed me to easily remove the action and maneuver the vice as required (my vice both swivels at the base and rotates at the head which is handy). I felt I was much more likely to either have my action fall out of the vice or accidentally drop my action/barrel is using just the two split blocks and the vice.

For someone looking to avoid the need/cost of the action wrench I would recommend building a wood jig that is similar in construction to the action wrench. I was going to use oak but this could likely be built with a scrap of 2X4, 2 bolts, 4 washers, and 2 nuts for a couple bucks. I like the brown sugar idea as well. The OD on my action is 1.350" so if I were going to build one I would probably drill the hole 1 1/8" and then sand to fit as required.

Again, this is not intended to criticize anyone's methods. These are my opinions and explanations of the considerations that lead me to opt to purchase the action wrench rather than constructing an alternate tool myself.

I also agree with your opinion on the smooth nut. Should I ever be in a situation where I have to remove one it will not be going back on. I understand that it may look more streamlined but from a serviceability standpoint it looks like a pain. I am also not convinced that the bolt supplied with the smooth nut wrench is up to the task. It is only a 1/4" bolt. There is at least one review on Midway about snapping the head off the bolt before it could be tightened sufficiently to remove a difficult nut. Were I going to use the smooth nut tool I would replace the existing bolt with a grade 8 bolt before I even started. I would also not try to break the smooth nut loose using a break over bar or ratchet. I would hit the wrench with a hammer (likely a 2# sledge as the smooth nut tool is much shorter than the wrench for the slotted barrel nut).

 

[fdkay]

I have found that using a barrel vise instead of the action wrench is easier and tends to be more flexible.
For example, i could not get the mag box off of a rifle without damaging it, no problem with the barrel vise.
My Dad tried the action wrench routine. The barrel and the barrel nut were so stubborn, he had to buy a barrel vise.

I always recommend the vise over the action wrench, though many folks have never had a problem.

 

[6brshooter]

Done several savage rebarrels, 12-14, over the years. Got by for a long time with just barrel blockonly and nut wrench . Had a stubborn action nut combo and ended up getting an action wrench from jim briggs, works on savages with the recoil lug tab and also 700. I have never had the headspace shorten when nut was tightened. If anything the headspace grows withut an action wrench. As torque is applied to barrel nut, with no action wrench, the action and nut will both unscrew a little together. That increases headspace . When using a barrel block and action wrench, if everything is held in place, as the nut is tightened down it will actually add a thou or 2 to headspace as the threads have a bit of slop. Nut is tightened to action face- barrel is pulled forward= go gage plus .001-.002. I close the stripped bolt on go gage and tightened nut, always yields minimum plus 1-2 thou, which is perfect for function and brass life.

 

[lead ƒarmer]

tag for info

 

[MoBoost]

I use barrel vise.
I use dead blow hammer to take off and put on barrels. Torque is completely irrelevant as long as the barrel doesn't spin on its own.

ALWAYS CHECK BOLTHEAD TO BARREL SPACE!!!

Bottom the barrel out on the bolt head first, and then make sure the you gauge closes within 1/2 turn. Otherwise you can have excessive head space or unsupported casehead - bad joojoo either way.

 

[Spock]

Tag for later

 

[shoots100]

Viper barrel vise.
Remember to remove the extractor when your checking head space.
I use a pc of cardboard tube that fits into the nut wrench when sliding it down the barrel.
Strap wrench for an action wrench.
I tighten the nut till it's tight. Never used a torque wrench in the thirty years working on them.
Stock bolts are a different story, and if improperly tightened , will be one of the main reasons for a poor shooting rifle.
Welcome to the barrel nut club.
Remember to keep the benefits of working on your savage rifle quiet, or be prepared to face the wraith of the Rem boys, who'll be telling you what's so bad about a savage rifle while their waiting for their guns to get back from the gunsmith.
That could be months, so they have a lot of time to bitch and moan while your out shooting.

 

[MoBoost]

And new signature is born!!!

P.S. I just "click" the gauge under the extractor and guide it into the barrel.

 

[88blazer]

Im lovein it!!!

Me, I used an old oak pallet, cut the 2x4 in half, chucked up in a Bridgeport, bored my action and barrel diameter. Some 2"x4"x3/8" plates(clamp plates). fits every Savage I've worked on to date. The Oak with nothing on it has never scarred or Galled with multiple barrels and actions clamped.

Individual results may vary. Some scaring and bleeding may occur. Involuntary rectile gasious release may occur upon muscular pressure exerted on clamps. Some unwanted results may intensify Tourettes syndrome. If significant other nagging occurs, discontinue use immediately.